- Crowd funding page raises tens of thousands of dollars to support bullied Syrian refugees
- Donors sent messages of support adding that the incidents were not representative of British culture
DUBAI: A crowd funding page has raised more than $163,000 to support a Syrian refugee who was bullied in north England, after video footage of a racial assault was circulated on social media.
The Syrian refugee, identified as Jamal, was attacked by a fellow pupil on playing fields near Almondbury Community School in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, on Oct. 25, 2018.
West Yorkshire Police later issued a statement explaining that the assailant would “appear at Youth Court in due course.”
And it was not the first bulling incident Jamal was subjected to.
In a previous incident his arm, which can be seen in the video in a blue cast, was broken in a previous bullying incident.
And his sister is thought to have also been subjected to a bullying incident in which her hijab was pulled off her head by her attacker – this was also captured on video that was also shared.
West Yorkshire Police said in a statement that they were aware of the footage involving the girl, which emerged on Nov. 28, 2018 and were in contact with the victim’s family.
Coverage of the video of the attack on Jamal caught the attention of Mohammed Tahir who set up a crowd funding page on “Go Fund Me”, which he tagged, “Jamal from Huddersfield. Bullied at school,” with a target of $192,000.
Mohammed Tahir told British regional newspaper, The Yorkshire Post, “We want to raise money for the family to ease their situation and hopefully they can use the funds to help improve their quality of life and to put a smile on their faces.”
Donations quickly flooded in, with some exceeding $1,270 by people eager to help the boy and his family.
Many also showed their support by sending messages, explaining that not all British people were bullies.
“Jamal you'll have a bright future and we're proud of you. You're strong to survive such a horrible treatment from these evil people around you. The way you walked away touched the heart of so many people around the world.” Basma, one of the donators, said, adding; “bullies are the ones who have a problem not you. This nasty group does not represent the British culture. You and your sister stay strong.”
Others said they hoped the incident would bring the nation together.
“The UK can be more than this. We need to show in solidarity, that this young family's experience is not how our country is at its core,” wrote Matthew J K Arnerich.
“I would like to see some good come from this horrible situation. I want the family to know that there are many people in the U.K. who want them to feel welcome here and wish them a good life,” Claire McArthur, said.